Do not compare Snooki, Morrison

When it was revealed that Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi received
$32,000 for "Inside the Nicole ‘Snooki' Polizzi Studio," people
were livid. The most prominent reason given for the backlash is the
fact that Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison is being paid
$30,000 for speaking at commencement in May — $2000 less than the
"Jersey Shore" star. On first glance, something seems terribly
wrong with this. At an institution of higher learning, a
well-respected author should be worth more than a reality show
star, shouldn't she? However, this view does not take into account
the entire picture. Once that is laid out, it makes sense that
Snooki received more than Morrison.

First off, the booking of Toni Morrison marks the first time the
University is paying for a commencement speaker. So, then, if we
apply the same logic as the Snooki versus Morrison debate, we would
have to say that, in paying Morrison, the University is suggesting
that she is worth $30,000 more than every commencement speaker
we've had in the past. No one would make that claim, because, quite
frankly, it's absurd. Paying Morrison has nothing to do with the
value of past commencement speakers, just as the price of Snooki
has nothing to do with the price of Morrison.

Also, people have to keep in mind that when the Rutgers
University Programming Association (RUPA) booked Snooki, they were
looking to schedule an entertaining event that students would
enjoy. It is not as if RUPA was trying to pretend that Snooki's
show would have an educational value. RUPA clearly succeeded in
doing what they set out to do, because both of Snooki's shows sold
out. The sad but true fact is that Morrison would never sell out
two shows in one night at the University. This, of course, is not
the University's fault — it is merely the social climate. You
cannot be mad at anyone for that. In this sense, Snooki is worth
her price.

The final point we wish to make is that many people have been
throwing about the highly inaccurate statement that the University
paid both of them. This is misleading, because it was not the
University as a whole that came together and decided how much they
were willing to pay for Morrison and Snooki. The money for both
speakers came from completely separate funds — Snook's funded
through student fees and Morrison's funded through PepsiCo. Not
only that, but Snooki did not receive the entirety of the $32,000 —
some of it went to her sidekick Adam Ace as well.

In the end, then, the entire issue has been blown completely out
of proportion. There's no sense in comparing Morrison and Snooki's
prices or in being mad at the University for the disparity. If you
must direct your anger somewhere, direct it at the cultural
climate. We live in a world where more people are willing to watch
Snooki prattle on about nonsense than are willing to listen to
Morrison deliver a speech.